


Get Pierced!

by thatarikuchan



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Fluff, Not just romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21679738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatarikuchan/pseuds/thatarikuchan
Summary: Cordelia is just now entering her twenties and living large in Opelucid City after making a breakthrough with her band despite her parents divorce and being separated from her sister.That all changes when her dad approaches her with a plan to try and win back his girl and her half sister invites her to the Galar region to join her for the Gym Challenge Cup!New region, New home, New musical sounds, New..rivals, maybe even love??? But same old Synth star at heart!Will she return to Unova or find a spot in Galar that's all her own?Join Cordelia and her sister on this adventure that is sure to turn everything upside down and place her in a battle of musical wits in "Get Pierced!"
Relationships: OC/OC, Piers/OC
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	1. Welcome to Glorious Galar!

“Yes mum, uh-huh I- uh-huh, yes I will be sure to let you know when we arrive. Give Ivy a hug from me and tell her I have a surprise for her!”

Cordelia couldn’t help but let out a tired sigh. She loved talking to her mom and her sister, but her mom could be a bit overbearing and had a tendency to drone on for hours. She was grateful however that they still managed to keep a good mother-daughter relationship despite the divorce many years ago and Cordelia choosing to stay with her father in Unova while her mother moved away to Galar. How many had it been? 8, 9 years? And in that time, her mother had inherited a younger daughter from a dead end love long ago, which changed a lot of things for her mother.

Cordelia’s mind had been all over the place since her morning began- from double checking she had everything packed up and put away, to arriving at the busy airport, her father’s unease weighing her down, and to top it off her bandmates sending them off with a big fanfare and crowd of friends and fans who would miss her dearly. “Cord, you ok?” A warm hand touched her shoulder and she looked up from her lap. “Ah yes dad, I’m good. ‘S all good here yeah.” Cordelia answered, trying not to sound stressed. They were already seated in the plane cabin and were awaiting takeoff. “What about you? Do you really think you can win her back?” It was the question that had been floating in the air, but they both had been dodging around it. “...It’s been almost a decade.” Her father stayed silent for a bit and she looked out the window. She loved both her parents, and had already accepted the fact that some people fall so hard for each other, they explode, then slowly fizzle and die out. Her father had taught her that through music and as such she uses songwriting as her outlet. So revisiting the topic now just seemed to throw them both in a funk. 

“Well...Maybe I can’t, but I’ll be sure to give her one last rocking performance. Just like old times.”

Cordelia smiled a little. “Just like old times… hey listen, Pops, you think Galarians would like my synth? Think there’s a spot for me to thrive like we did in Opelucid?”

It had been quite some time since Cordelia had been to the region, far before she had her own musical enlightening. Her father hummed in thought. 

“Hun, you’ve got a sweet sound, and you can also play a wicked guitar if you find them reluctant to hear the raw energy you bring. I’m sure you’ll figure a way to radiant that bangin’ energy again.” He perked right up, always so eager to discuss music with his partner in crime. The performer in him would often come out whenever they talked about her musical career and dreams. Her father played in a punk band in Opelucid before the Synth takeover of her generation rose up.

“Gee thanks, telling me I might have to switch to my backup instrument hah! I haven’t touched my Stratocaster in at least a year!” She said teasingly. “..But, you really think I could find my own spot again?”

He laughed and nodded. “You’re a seasoned musician, any group would be lucky to have someone with your knowledge and resourcefulness. It also doesn’t hurt that you’ve got a pretty face and rocking personality to boot. At least I did something right in my life.”

The two of them began to laugh and continued their idle chit chat during the plane trip. Eventually when everyone drifted off in the middle of their long flight, Cordelia put her earbuds in and quietly mulled over potential lyrics in her journal. She was too full of nerves and excitement to rest, so she channeled that into her music. 

_ Flying so high, the world spinning below, _

_ At night she wanders to and fro,  _

_ chasing blindly into the unknown and whispers softly _

_ “Hello?” _

_ My head is spinning round and round, can't you hear me make a sound?!  _

_ Calling out to the blind, it’s me, I’m here and I can’t see why _

_ They say change is good, but ‘cha coulda fooled me _

_ Chasing these dreams like some fairytale queen _

_ But it's clear to see this aint a dream  _

_ The world doesn’t work like that, _

_ And yet, life finds a way _

* * *

  
  


Staying up through the duration of the flight took its toll on Cordelia apparently, she didn’t even remember landing or loading their belongings in the cab that would bring them to Motostoke. When she woke up, they were still in the cab, just arriving in the city. With a yawn, she pulled out her phone to check for updates. 8:26 A.M. That time zone change is gonna have her all messed up.

She looked to her side and saw her father scrolling aimlessly through his phone. “Hey Pops, d’ya call mum? I didn’t mean to sleep so long.” Cordelia asked softly, rubbing one eye. Her father peered at her and shook his head. “Ah sorry pal, I forgot she had said to let her know when we made it in." Cordelia yawned again and waved a hand. “Eh I’m sure it’ll be ok, I’ll just call her when we settle into the hotel. What time is the Gym Challenge Ceremony? I promised Ivory I’d be there and give her my present." She may be half asleep, but at least her priorities were still set. Cordelia remembered how excited her younger sister had been to surprise her with the announcement and she had vowed to be there for her, cheering her on as loud as possible.

"Hm? Oh right, the gym challenge begins tomorrow. Ummm, to be honest i don't remember Corde, maybe try asking your mom when you talk to her?" Her father replied with mild interest, much to Cordelia's chagrin.

"Tch...if you're gonna win her heart back at least try and take more interest in Ivory too. After all, if you succeed, she'll be your daughter too…" she mumbled as their flying taxi reached their stop. 

When the pilot came down and opened her door, she happily got out and stretched before picking up her synth case and slinging it to her back while her dad picked up his immediate belongings. cordelia looked around at her scenery, the giant water wheels and steam powered engines of Motostoke attracting her attention. When her dad beckoned for her to follow him, she nodded and slowly followed his lead, breathing in the fresh crisp air.

“Cordelia? ...Cordi is that you?!” A voice called out, grabbing her and her father’s attention. “Hm?” Cordelia searched for a moment when her eyes fell upon a girl no more than 16 waving happily at her, the long black ponytail flowing in the wind.

“Ivory? ….No way!” Cordelia exclaimed as the two ran to meet each other in a big hug. “Oh gosh you’ve grown so much!!! And I see mum finally let you dye your hair too!” 

Her sibling giggled as they let go of each other and started noting all the differences since the last time they had seen each other in person- which happened to be 5 years ago.

“You always seem to have a new hair color when you visit, Cordi! Or when we facetime. Ooh! Omg give me your phone!” The sheer excitement of Ivory made Cordelia’s heart sing, the two had become very close ever since Ivory was introduced to the picture, despite any differences their parents may share. “Check this out, I’m gonna hook. You. UP!”

Cordelia raised an eyebrow and watched curiously as Ivory pulled out a pokeball. “The professor granted me special permission to mod your phone myself with the region map and pokedex! Rotom, please be good to my big sis ok?” She explained briefly as the ball popped open and a Rotom appeared flitting about in the air. 

“Don’t worry, think of this as an upgrade for ya! There’s a whole bunch of cool things to be done with a Rotom phone sis, ugh I can’t wait I’m just so excited!!”

“H-hey, what's it doing- ah! My phone! Eevee what did you do??!” Cordelia was shocked for a moment but relieved once the rotom that now lived in her smartphone safely floated above her palm. “Oh thank gosh, you really had me goin’ there!” She said in relief and her sister laughed before tugging on Cordelia’s jacket sleeve. “Oh I’ll tell you loads more about it, but first we gotta go see mom, I’m sure you and… dad are both exhausted from your long trip!” Ivory answered, practically dragging her older sister towards the hotel, their father waiting somewhat impatiently. 

“Alright, come on girls, I’ll check us in and come find you and your mom la-”

“Oh no you don’t!” Cordelia stopped her father from shirking away and hooked an arm around his, now nestled between her sister and him. “We’re all gonna go say hi like the family we are, after all, there is MUCH to celebrate!”

* * *

The elevator ride up to their rooms was quiet, but Cordelia was stubborn and refused to let her father’s disdain for the child that came about as a result of her mother’s attempt at finding love again get in the way of such an incredible moment for Ivory. Neither Cordelia nor Ivory asked to be put in this situation, they just had to adapt as a result of the cards life dealt them.

“You better be nice, Pops, at least for her first three gym battles, you know how mum's with her ‘darling jewels’” She whispered to him, clearly still upset at how much a child he could be. 

“Oh what luck! Our rooms are on the same floor!! Chairman Rose really was so nice to actually answer my letter from months ago! Oh gosh and Gym Leader Opal too! I have her to thank for my endorsement!” It was like hearing and watching an excited puppy trying eagerly to contain themselves, but failing miserably and honestly it just warmed Cordelia’s heart to see her sister so incredibly joyful and grateful for so much.

“I’m sure its because you’re just that swell of a trainer, Ivory, can’t wait to go exploring Galar with you and all it has to offer, we’ll probably end up singing lots of songs together!” She said with a wink, causing her sister to squeal in delight and rush to hug her again. “Oh Cordi!!! You really mean it? Y-you don’t have to follow me on my journey if you don’t want to, but...Thank you so much!” 

As Ivory gushed on and on with Cordelia in the hallway, her father took the opportunity to resign himself to their room and promptly lock the girls in the hotel hall. The sound of the door clicking shut caught both girls off guard and they looked at one another, Ivory’s big smile from before fading and Cordelia sighed. 

“I guess I’ll just have to tell mum pa’s straight beat from the trip. Come on, I haven’t gotten a chance to call her, so she has no idea I’m even here, we could surprise her real good ya?”

Her sister smiled once more and nodded happily as she led Cordelia down the hall.  
  


“Hey mum! I’m back and found sum’n real special, wanna see?” Ivory asked innocently when she entered her hotel room. A tall slender woman with long black curls and glasses looked up from her sketchpad with a smile. “Well sure, what lovely thing have you found this time, dear?”

“Surprise!!”

“H-hey mum! I made it!”

Cordelia said shyly after she had peeked out from behind the doorway. The woman’s eyes widened and her smile grew as she stood up. “Oh goodness, Cordelia! Come in come in!” She urged happily and Cordelia obliged,, walking in after Ivory before giving her mom a warm hug. “I told you I’d make it!” She said happily, feeling comfort in her mother’s favorite perfume. 

“Oh its been ages dear, has life treated you well? It looks like it, gosh you just get prettier every day don’t you?” Her mom was the exact same as she remembered, and Cordelia blushed a little in embarrassment as they pulled away. “Oh ma, you flatter me too much.”

“How could I not after all you’ve achieved in Unova!? My daughter, part of an extraordinary band that has created music for so many wonderful occasions, you know I watched every one of your shows!” 

Her mom continued doting on her for a while and Cordelia could only smile and nod happily. 

“Well, um, dad’s here too! Said he felt like it was important to be here to celebrate as a family an’ all.” She began and her mother raised an eyebrow, Ivory sitting on one of the beds in the room.

“Oh, your father really said that?” Her mother challenged and Cordelia gulped.

“Y-yeah! I mean you know, not exactly like that, always has to speak in his own way an’ all. Yep..family is important.”

Her mother searched her eyes and Cordelia hoped her bluff was enough. After a moment, her mom relented and shrugged. “Well, I suppose it is...nice to see Luke once more. If he decided Ivory’s induction ceremony was important that perhaps he has done some growing too, hasn’t he girls?” She replied with a smile, but Cordelia knew better and nodded nervously. Her mom tended to be very icy when the subject of her father came up, but rightfully so. She had been the witness to many stupid mistakes her father made until her mom finally had enough and moved halfway across the world.

_ Yikes…this is gonna be harder than I thought... _

Suddenly, Cordelia began to rummage through her synth case and pulled out a gift box, wrapped in pretty pokemon stationary featuring her mom’s favorite evolutionary line- all the Eevee-lutions of course!

“Um, we uh, we got this for you too. He helped me pick out part of it.” She offered, wanting to quickly end the fierce tension that was always present when her father’s name came up.

Her mother was a bit skeptical but accepted the offering and opened the small box. “Wow...he sure does remember all the little details, right down to my all time favorite ink well. And...this?” She questioned, picking up a CD case.

“Oh that! That's my gift to you, its my own unreleased album of original songs the band and I threw together. I thought you could use a piece of Opelucid love here in Galar! I hope you can enjoy it while drawing!” Cordelia explained happily and her mother smiled too. “Oh Corde, I’ll cherish it forever. You and that synth and those v-singers you all use speak to my younger life.” She put the gift down in a safe place. “Well, I’ve got both my diamonds here with me, and the ceremony starts in a couple hours, wanna go grab a bite to eat in the hotel restaurant? They’re holding a lunch buffet for the gym challengers and their families.”

Ivory jumped up right as her mom finished. “OH. MY. GOD. I HAVE TO GO DOWNSTAIRS RIGHT NOW!!!! I’ll see you guys there, ahhh he’s here omg he’s actually here omg omg omg!!!” She said in a rush before throwing on her boots and jacket and running out the door, phone in hand. 

Cordelia shot her mother a confused look and made a gesture asking why Ivory ran as if her life depended on it to which her mother chuckled and gave her a knowing look.

“She’s 16 and is a huge fan of this rock band from Spikemuth if I remember correctly, most importantly the guitarist ah...Vale? I think that's his name. She’s been on a serious rock kick because of them, reminds me of you at her age honestly. Doesn’t help that this boy is also single and 17.” Her mother said, gathering her belongings and purse. “Come on, before she embarrasses herself from how excited she is.”   
  


* * *

  
  


Downstairs was becoming more and more lively by the minute it seemed, and a crowd had made themselves very well known outside of the building itself. “M-A-R-N-I-E, MARNIE MARNIE MARNIE YEAH!!!,” a large group clad in pink and black ripped jeans, crop tops, ripped tights, and heavy metal boots were chanting, waving about banners with a fashionable girl pictured on it.

“Guys GUYS!!! How many times I ‘ave to say it, Marnie is arriving later! Piers told us to run ahead to ensure everythin’s all good for the lady, yeah? Let these people enjoy their meals!” A voice shouted out and suddenly the crowd of rowdy punks quieted, a soft murmur rushing through the crowd, making way for the male to walk through. Ivory was trying very hard to see over the crowd, clearly knowing the owner of that voice, as if the clunk and clinking of metal chains and tapping of boots across the floor didn’t give it away.

“Ah, excuse me, I just- If you could just move for a sec- I need, I need to get up there uwah!” Ivory had been trying extremely hard to shove past as politely as possible to get to the clearing in the lobby and finally managed to get past, but stumbled and fell to her feet. To her surprise the footsteps stopped. “Oh? Are you alright?” Ivory froze, glanced at the pair of platform boots that stood in front of her and slowly looked up to see a gloved hand reaching out for her, the owner a black and blue haired male dressed in the familiar pink and black of Team Yell’s signature style. Her eyes widened as she stared at him, slowly reaching out for his hand. Once back on her feet, she still just looked at him in awe, the two girls behind him hiding smirks, one of them deciding to brush past the pair. He winked at Ivory and gave a humble bow. “Tha name’s Vale, love. And to whom do I owe the pleasure?” He said, making her heart skip a beat and blush a deep red.

“I-i I-i’m Ivory...I’m a h-huge fan of yours, um..p-picture?” She managed to finally stutter out, holding up her phone and pointing at it meekly much to his amusement. 

“Ah a picture for the lovely lady indeed! Come ‘ere and say cheese!” He exclaimed, really making a show of it all. Ivory’s blush deepened, but she smiled, her heart going crazy as she had her rotom phone set to selfie mode- there’s no way in Arceus she’d be able to hold her phone steady to snap the pic. He grinned and placed his arm around her shoulder, making a peace sign with the other hand and she felt herself doing the same gestures and smiling brightly. Rotom snapped a few pictures and they changed poses each time, Ivory eventually mimicking his signature stage position, causing Vale to whistle lowly. 

“Well well, Ivory was it? Would ya do me a favour then? Be sure to tag me in those when you post em~ And I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around.” Vale concluded with another wink that nearly sent Ivory into hysterics as she watched the guitarist run off with his friends.. 

“Esmi, Ronnie, wait up!”

The girls weren’t too far ahead, being stopped for photos by some other fans as well before politely declining anymore and heading up the elevators.

_ Wow...what a dreamboat….hmm? _

She looked down after finally snapping back to reality and noticed he dropped his jacket. The crowd of people that were focused on them a moment ago were now swarming around the elevators. After concluding no one was watching her, she picked it up.

“Hey Viv, what happened?” Cordelia said, conveniently running out from the next elevator to the lobby along with her mother. Ivory looked at her sister and just grinned like an idiot. 

“I just became one of the most popular girls in all of Galar is what!!” She sighed happily, hugging the article of clothing to her chest. Her mom and sister just gave her curious looks before she answered them, walking over to the restaurant area. 

“Come on, I'll tell ya about it over lunch!”


	2. Let The Challenge Begin!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivory gets Cordelia caught up on as much as possible, whilst leading her big sis into a ruse. Cordelia dons a new do and embraces the idea of exploring Galar, but not like this!  
> Just what was Ivory up to and what did it mean for Cordelia?

“-and then he helped me up and we took selfies together!!! Cordelia he is the love of my LIFE oh gosh I still can’t believe that happened.” Ivory was still swooning over her photo-ops with Vale and took the opportunity to explain in detail basically her entire love story with this man and Cordelia made notes here and there, mostly about the band themselves, but Ivory didn’t spend too much time on any of the others except to mention their names and what instruments they played before gushing volumes. As silly as it sounded to her, she indeed remembered being hyper infatuated by stunning rock stars and young adult synth legends from Unova as well. 

Cordelia’s phone chimed and she checked the notification. A text from her father saying he was going to be joining them downstairs.

“Oh nice.” She said in response and Ivory looked up from her phone.

“Dad said he’s coming down to join us.”

“Fashionably late as always.” Their mom chimed in, checking her hair in her compact mirror. Cordelia shot her a knowing glance as she shut the mirror and put it back in her purse. “You’re right Cordelia, I’ll behave.

“Can you two please, just this once, like...I don’t know, be cordial to each other and not passive aggressive? You’re gonna throw Ivory off her game.” Cordelia answered with a sigh, already imagining the tension in the air to spike..

Ivory nodded. “Yeah, I know you don’t care for a lot of things that Luke has done, but he did fly all the way over here with my big sis just for this occasion. We could at least...try to be a whole family for once.” Ivory added. She may not care for her step father either, but the fact that he did accompany her big sister halfway across the world meant a lot to her.

Ivory sighed, and propped her now drooping head onto her hands. “...Man now I sound all depressing and stuff! Jeez, today was supposed to be such a good day. Like, a seriously good day! Please don’t ruin this for me.” Ivory huffed, getting riled up and Cordelia tried to change the subject, not wanting to have a cat fight at lunch. “Hey hey, it still is, look, why don’t you come with me and you can show me around town? I’m sure there’s lots more you’d like to tell me about this group from Spikemuth right?” She reasoned with the challenger-to-be who paused mid-rise from her seat. “Hmm...yeah You’re right Cordi! Mum, we’ll catch you and dad at the stadium, both of you better be there on time!” Ivory said the last part as a warning while Cordelia stood. “Come on, lets go get you some new threads too!” She finished, excited once again and Cordelia chuckled. 

“I’ll meet up with you and dad at the stadium later, try to play nice!” The eldest daughter shouted back to their mother, not like their mom needed the warning. After all, that’s who she learned how to fake smile from- Cordelia had no doubts her mother could make it through this meal without ripping her father to shreds for once.

* * *

  
  
  
In a way it was much better that the girls took off when they did; it forced both of their parents to talk things over, or at least begin to and Cordelia was grateful for it. Her phone ringer went off amidst the stroll and Ivory looked up at her. 

“It’s dad isn’t it?” She asked, to which Cordelia laughed and nodded. “Yeah, he’s not too happy I left him with mom, but he needs this.” She said, brushing a hand through her hair and Ivory tilted her head. “Oh? What makes you say that?”

It was at this moment that Cordelia realized she had talked very little with her sister and hadn’t had a chance to properly bring up the fact that her dad only came along because he had this crazy idea to try and win over their mom once more. She decided now was as good a time as she’ll get, not knowing when her sister would go off on a tangent of stories again.

“Er, well um, I’m hoping you don’t take this the wrong way, but...Dad only tagged along with me because he’d been having this growing idea of wanting to woo back mom.” Cordelia said awkwardly, avoiding her sister’s eyes. Ivory stood in silence, processing what that would mean before a small smile crept upon her lips and she nodded. “So like...Not only did he fly with you over, but he’s also trying to really make us one united family? That's like, the nicest thing someone who hates me on principle could probably ever do for me!” She said the last part in a joking manner and Cordelia almost spat out her iced tea. “Ivory!! ...Well...I mean I can’t blame you for thinking that honestly.” She said as if to justify with herself that her sister spoke the truth.

Ivory snickered as they came upon a salon. She halted and began to think, Cordelia stopping alongside her.

“Cordi, you know people are gonna hone in on you for the way you’re dressed and how you take your tea, and your hair. People are gonna think you are like a….like-” She paused, giving a good look over her sister’s outfit. Tall posture, thick, long, romantic curls,, a white double breasted jacket with decorative chains and leggings that reminded her of a Luxray, complete with heels that further matched the pokemon’s color palette.

“-like a star or something!” She finally said, causing Cordelia to laugh.

“Pft, well I mean, I kinda am a big deal in Unova with the rest of my mates. Mum isn’t kidding when she goes on to say the kinds of people we’ve recorded for and created music for.” She answered, still amused. Ivory’s grin just grew. “Y’know...there’s a certain...band...that you should probably listen to when we get the chance.” The obvious hints that she dropped in this statement were so blatantly obvious, it almost made Cordelia cringe. Instead she rolled her eyes and patted her sister on the head. “Uh-huh? Does this band include the absolute love of your life, Vale?” Cordelia played along teasingly, making Ivory blush.

“M-maybe!! A-anyways, I figured since you’re in a new region, you might wanna change up your look! You know, like your very own Galarian form or something!” Ivory quickly changed the subject, bringing the attention back to the salon.

“Oh thats rich! My own Galarian form eh? Well,” Cordelia began, making a show of flipping back her hair. “Since it is your special day and all, I guess I got no choice but to become a new me!” She said and Ivory squealed happily in response as they entered into the store.

“Oh come on Cordi, I wanna see all ready!” Ivory could not contain her anxiousness to see the new and elevated look she knew her sister was bound to take. The stylists in the lobby chuckled softly and assured her Cordelia would be done soon. Sure enough, the familiar clacking of Cordelia’s heels resonated against the tile floor and Ivory almost gave herself whiplash from how fast she turned to look. “Well, whaddya think Champ-To-Be? Is this the Galarian Cordelia Lockheart you wished to see?” A now pink-brown, medium length haired Cordelia said with a smile.

“Ahhh you look amazing!! I didn’t think you’d cut off so much hair either!! Ivory exclaimed, causing Cordelia’s smile to widen. “The black and white of Opelucid needed a break anyway, and you know I wasn’t about to compromise on my jacket.” She said nonchalantly, doing a twirl

“We should probably head back to the stadium right? I mean, you gotta get lined up don’t you?” 

“Huh? Oh shoot! Yeah we need to hurry!” 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


It was the first time Cordelia had been inside one of the Galar stadiums and she couldn’t help but feel reminded of the giant stadiums from the Orre region. Even just in the lobby, she could already hear the crowd inside growing with excitement, and funnily enough, she felt herself rise with anticipation.

“This is the...third gym, right?” She asked, looking around the fire themed banners and walls. A certain poster caught her attention, featuring a region map of Hoenn. 

“Yep! The gym leader here is Kabu, and he hails from the Hoenn region! Didn’t you visit there once?” She asked, as they waited in line to register Ivory.

“Yeah, a friend of mine moved there. Remember Ridelle, the one who’s always around Wallace? She invited me one summer vacation.” Cordelia answered, bringing her attention to the registration desk. “How are you feeling? You get to pick out your own league ID, about to step onto that field and hear the crowd roaring for you like the little rock star you are eh?” 

Ivory was oddly quiet, but Cordelia couldn't exactly pinpoint hat caused the shift in her mood.

_ Ah maybe nerves? _

“Hey Corde...d’ya think you could strike the keys on your synth for me when I go out there? ...I wouldn't be here without all your encouragement and I- I think I’ll just really own it if I could hear your chilling synth vibes from the stands. ‘S all.” Her accent was thicker whenever she got nervous, which was rare these days but Cordelia smiled and patted her on the back.

“You got it, I’ll show em how we do in Unova!. ...Should I sneak onto the sidelines?”

Ivory looked up at her and gave a mischievous smile. “You would seriously risk that for me?” She hummed in amusement and Cordelia smirked. “You don’t make a statement by sticking to the rules all the time now do ya?” Her younger sister giggled as her turn was up next. 

“Okay trainer, now if I can just see your endorsement letter please!” The Gym challenge attendant said happily and Ivory obliged, a playful grin on her face. “Hmm...Oh perfect! Here you go young lady, here is your challenger uniform! Have you decided on your league ID.” Ivory nodded happily. “Please register number five seven five for me please!” Ivory responded and the attendant nodded. “Alright, Ms. Loverett you are ready to go, please proceed to the tunnel once you get changed and wait in line!”

Ivory was absolutely beaming and moved aside, that playful expression once again on her face. “Well then I guess I’ll see you la-”

“Not so fast Cordi! Didn’t you see?” Ivory cut her off, a giggle escaping her causing her sister to tilt her head in confusion. “H-huh? Ivory what do you mean?”

“Ah excuse me, Miss Lockheart, it appears Miss. Loverett here handed me your endorsement letter as well.” 

These words shocked the living daylights out of Cordelia, Ivory just swaying happily in place as she watched this event take place.

“I’m sorry, but..WHAT did you just say?? Wh-who could have possibly sent me their endorsement????” Cordelia was failing miserably to keep her mixture of shock and horror at bay, unnerving the attendant slightly who flinched at her voice change.

“Uh-uh well it appears that word of your travels have spread through different regions. You come recommended by Kabu and a Ridelle Sarise from Hoenn as well as Elite Four members, Grimsely and Shantal from the Unova region having endorsed you personally, both pairs eagerly vouching for your ‘blend of battle prowess and musical flare’. Wh-what an honor really!” The attendant stammered out, Cordelia still sent reeling from shock.

She sent a questioning glance to her sister who was enjoying every moment of this.

“...I’ll deal with you later.” She muttered to which Ivory just snickered in delight. The attendant cleared her throat and handed Cordelia her challenge uniform as well. 

“Well...Um did you have a League ID in mind?”

Cordelia sighed and thought for a moment. “Y-yeah, let me have five seven six please.” She said, doing her best to hide the whirlwind of emotions she was feeling. The attendant nodded and then smiled. “Well then, you are all set! Please join the others in the tunnel once you have changed into your uniform!” The attendant concluded and COrdelia managed a smile before walking off to the locker rooms with Ivory.

* * *

“Soooo, SURPRISE!!!” Ivory exclaimed once they were dressed in their uniforms. Cordelia was still a mix of anxieties and confusion. 

“..How on EARTH were you able to get Ridelle, Grimsley, and Shantal to force Kabu to endorse me specifically???” Cordelia cried out, making Ivory laugh. “Well since Ridelle and you were close and she has good connections with Wallace who has even better connections because he was a champion, I may have asked for a teensy weensie favor~! One thing led to another, Grimsely and Shantal eagerly agreeing with Ridelle and Wallace that you should partake in the challenge here seeing as how you not only dominate Unova with music but with your battles that always leave the crowds wanting more. Once confirmed, the three signed their names on a letter and Ridelle had Wallace get in contact with KAbu who read over your battle resume essentially and decided he had to have a battle with you himself one day.” Ivory explained, making it sound much easier than it was.

“All that was left was to get a Galar gym leader to sign off and Kabu did just that after being shown video of your elite four matches in Hoenn from that one summer Ridelle invited you over~, soooo, don’t go embarrassing me and losing early on!” Ivory concluded with a wink, clearly proud of her long elaborate plan.

Cordelia was astonished. This wasn’t just a simple month plan, this had to have taken place at least 2 years in advance. How could she have been so certain that Cordelia would make it for this specific round of endorsements other than...

“You set this entire thing up, and were banking on the fact that I would fly out just to spend time with you since we hardly ever get to see each other, didn’t you?”

“Bingo! And thank Arceus it worked. Do you know how hard I had to work to get Ridelle on board with this?” Ivory replied. 

It didn’t seem real at all. Cordelia was no stranger to battling of course, she had swept the Hoenn, and Unova regions, but always made it a point to stop right before a championship battle so she could pursue her music career. A strong psychic fighter accompanied by her own synth themes- it was for this exact reason that Ivory, Ridelle and the friendships Cordelia had made on her adventures all banded together to get her this opportunity. Not to mention giving both of the sisters a valid excuse to spend time away from their parents who no doubt had plenty of things to talk about on their own time.

Cordelia finally just laughed and stood up from the bench, accepting that this was something that was going to happen, whether she was ready or not. “Gosh Eevee, you are...so much more incredible than I thought.” She said softly before giving her sister a big hug. “Alright then, lets show Galar how we do in Unova and pierce them to the core! We’ll be the hottest topic this side that the world’s seen, now Ivory, are you with me?!” Cordelia had put on her performance voice and whipped out her synth keytar from its case, Ivory practically screaming in agreement as Cordelia plucked out one of her electrifying melodies. The girls soon laughed together before heading into the tunnel with the other gym challengers. Once in line, they found themselves conversing with some of the other prospects. First was a fellow gym challenger from Ivory’s hometown and the two hit it off. A boy named Hop made sure to declare he was going to be the next champion and the one to knock his big bro down from his throne. A particularly cocky boy had made it well known throughout that everyone else’s dreams would be dashed seeing as he came endorsed directly for the chairman himself. Called himself Bede. But the one that caught her Cordelia’s attention was a quiet goth type girl who was just eyeing Ivory from a distance. 

“Name’s Marnie. How are you?” She was either nervous or soft spoken, but Ivory didn’t let that stop her from conversing with the girl, and by the end of the conversation, Marnie seemed more relaxed around the sister pair. The roaring of the crowd intensified as the Chairman of the region spoke up, signalling the beginning of the ceremony. Each of the challengers eagerly awaited when it would be time to step out onto the pitch. First off after his introduction speech, Chairman Rose began to introduce the gym leaders of the region and Ivory practically screamed in excitement for her favorite, none other than Opal, fairy type gym leader herself. She was sure to brief Cordelia on Opal’s legacy beforehand. All Cordelia could think about was how only seven of the typical eight gym leaders were announced but she shrugged that off once it was the challengers’ turn to take to the pitch. Ivory had composed herself enough to walk confidently without absolutely losing it on the field, face to face with so many inspiring leaders. Cordelia smiled and looked around the stadium, the crowd roaring like at one of her biggest shows with her band back in Unova. Except this time, she’d be rising from the bottom once more. She found herself face to face with the dragon type leader, Raihan, who had a cocky grin on his face, sizing her up and she smirked back. “Smile!” He said and in an instance he had taken a selfie with her. Thankfully Cordelia had a set of poses memorized to strike at a moment’s notice, no doubt due to paparazzi in Unova with her band. Raihan briefly showed her the selfie and gave her a thumbs up to which she nodded, approving of the picture taken

“These are this year’s Gym Challenge Candidates! May you all have good luck and safe travels!!”

  
  


It was funny, Cordelia thought. How long had it been since she had been in a gym challenge?

_ Two years ago I was making a name for myself in Hoenn and then my music career took off… To be on the field again..Dunno, it feels, electrifying. Like my heart could burst from the adrenaline. Definitely have to write down some lyrics for this later… _

As the crowd roared, she looked over at Ivory who was eating it all up, waving to the crowd and making sure to also take a selfie while on the field.

_ Today marks a special day in her life chapter as well. Maybe this time, I’ll get to truly see what Galar has to offer.  _

Cordelia broke away from her thoughts for a moment and pulled luxury ball from her pocket, making her way over to Ivory who was still waving to the crowd happily. “Oh I almost forgot, Viv. I brought you a friend.” She said, tapping her sister on the shoulder. Ivory whipped around in surprise and accepted the ball that was handed to her. “Is this..,what I think it is?” She practically had to shout to be heard amongst the crowd’s cheers, and Cordelia nodded. “This is a special gift to you, I think you can catch them here as well, but this lil girl was bred directly from mine, may you use her well!” Cordelia answered, to which Ivory hugged her briefly and then turned to the crowd once more, grabbing Cordelia’s hand and throwing it up in the air with her’s, the crowd eating it up.

Yep, it looks like it's time for yet another wild ride, different region, different Pokemon, different leaders, but same old Cordelia Lockheart.

_ Just call me Corde and pierce my heart! _


	3. A Whisper on the Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its been a whirlwind of a day and it doesn't seem like its gonna stop any time soon for Cordelia, but she's tryin her best to not let it get to her. However, who could have known that selfie she took with the dragon type leader would create such a buzz?  
> More Ivory being easily exciteable, Cordelia being bashful, More Marnie being amused at the sisters' reactions, MORE SISTER BONDING!!!! 
> 
> Meanwhile Vale catches up with his bandmates, realizes his jacket is missing but their leader finally reveals himself and gets the scope on the challenge for himself.  
> Looks like things are rolling right along!  
> Enjoy my artwork at the end featuring Vale and Piers, not really depicting a scene from the story, but a scene thats all too familiar for the both for them!! My name everywhere else is Madam Merluvli :3c

Once the ceremonies had wrapped up, the sisters found themselves in a restaurant with fellow gym challengers. To their surprise, one of the challengers walked over to them when she spotted them sitting in a window booth. Ivory recognized her immediately and smiled. “Oh, hey Marnie!” 

_Ah, one of the other teen challengers Ivory met back there._

Marnie smiled and tucked back a piece of hair behind her ear. “..Um, can I sit with you?” She asked quietly, to which Ivory and Cordelia nodded. “Sure thing.” The older replied as Ivory made room for her to slide in next to her.

“Thanks.”

Ivory was quick to strike up a conversation, doing her best to include Marnie in the topics as well. Cordelia would nod every once in awhile as they ate their meal, but she paused when Marnie said something of interest.

“You’re that synth player from Unova right? Cordelia Lockheart of Opelucid, yeah?” She asked, catching her off guard. Cordelia placed down her spoon and smiled while Ivory watched in amusement.

“Ah, guilty as charged.” She replied before taking a sip of her lemonade. “Heard of D-Luxe have ya?” Cordelia asked with a raised eyebrow. It wasn’t uncommon for inhabitants in other regions to have caught wind of her band- Opelucid wasn’t exactly a secret, and Cordelia’s band had a good PR rep that only boosted their reach further. Combine that with the sometimes intoxicating stage presence she and her other lead artist shared and its no wonder clips would go viral from their big shows. It had surprised her though- she hadn’t pegged anyone in Galar to be the type to enjoy her music. Then again, she never really expected anyone to listen to her music until recently when they seemingly skyrocketed in popularity. Funny enough, people started paying attention once Cordelia changed up her appearance and was pushed to be the face of the band. A confidence booster you can say for sure.

Marnie smiled and nodded. “Yeah, been a fan for awhile now, though I’m not sure how my big bro would take that.” She said the last part mostly as an afterthought but shrugged anyway. “Eh, knowing ‘im, he’ll probably just be curious as to why I’m a fan. Which-” Marnie paused to check her phone, piquing Ivory and Cordelia’s interest with her sibling reveal. 

“Oh wow, you’re already trending.” She said with mild surprise. Ivory’s jaw dropped. “What??? What do you mean she is TRENDING???” She practically exclaimed as she loomed over Marnie’s shoulder to see the phone screen, causing Cordelia to hush her. Marnie chuckled and held up her phone for both girls to see.

“See? Looks like that selfie Raihan snapped of you early is making its rounds on Pokegram and Rotobook. Some of the comments are even mentioning and tagging you by name.” Marnie said, allowing Ivory to scroll through some of the amassing plethora of comments and likes.

“Oh my gosh, Cordi this is incredible! Ohh Raihan’s got fans from all over, and people are gonna be soooo hype to see you go through your challenge!” Ivory was in awe and Cordelia played it off with a chuckle. “Oh I’m sure it's not _that_ impressive. I mean, I just got here today.” She said with a yawn. It was starting to sink in that she hadn’t slept yet since arriving this morning. Ivory shook her head. “Um sis...I uh, I don’t think you understand Raihan’s reach. Look!” She said, pushing the phone into Cordelia’s face and Marnie nodded. Cordelia rolled her eyes at first but as she scrolled the feed and saw all the comments, views and people tagging her and her band or posting video clips in response to Raihan, her eyes widened and she immediately pulled back, her cheeks flushed. She held her cheeks in embarrassment. “H-hah oh boy… I uh, I didn’t know taking that selfie was gonna have an immediate effect like this. Ohhh gosh, I wonder what Will is thinking right now oh my gosh.” She was mostly talking to herself at this point, much to Ivory’s amusement at the mention of one of her bandmates. “Well I know who’s gonna be a gym leader favorite, you better not lose out early, Cordi!” Ivory said with a giggle and Marnie couldn’t help but snicker too. “At least Raihan’s favorite, ‘e’s probably lapping up all the attention. Guess we can’t say the same for your big sis eh, Viv?” Marnie said playfully and Ivory nodded as Cordelia pulled out her phone to check what her feed was looking like. Sure enough, the same result was happening on her end, except hers was also being bombarded with follower requests left and right. Marnie smiled as she stood up and stretched. “Well, I suppose I should head back to the hotel for the night,” she began, putting on her backpack. “Don’t let the fame get to ya, Corde.” she said with a wink. “Ivory, we should have a match when you make it Hulbury, winner treats the other to lunch ok?” Marnie finished before waving her goodbyes. Ivory got up too and nodded. “You’re on! Don’t go losing to Nessa now!” She shouted after her, a confident grin on her face. “Cordi, you all done here?” Ivory looked at her sister who still had remnants of a dizzying expression all over her face. “H-huh? Oh, yeah, lets uh, let's get out of here.” Cordelia answered, regaining her composure and silencing her phone. “ ‘bout time we go check back in with our parents too.” 

Outside the restaurant was a different scene from the excitement of earlier- the streets were no longer bustling with trainers and their families. Instead there were scattered residents walking to and fro, an occasional gym challenger leaving a store or heading back to the Budew Inn. Likewise, the girls were making their way back as well when confronted by a rowdy group of trainers clad in pink and black attire outside the hotel. Cordelia instinctively shielded her sister with an arm, her other hand reaching into her pocket to grip a trusted pokeball.

“It’s those guys from earlier.” Ivory whispered, recognizing the familiar designs. Cordelia looked down at her sister sternly. “You _know_ these guys?” She whispered back.

“Oi! You lot must think ya sum’n special hanging around Marnie, don’t ya?” One of them bellowed, garnering the girls’ attention once more. “Think cause ya gettin chummy with her, you’ll learn her secrets for the challenge huh?” Another called out. The group had started to form a circle around the two and Ivory tensed up.

“Ok here’s the plan,” Cordelia began, looking at Ivory once more. “You still got that luxury ball I gave you earlier?”

“Yeah, why?” Ivory asked. Cordelia nodded. “I’m gonna need you to call out that partner ok? You’ll know what to do when I send out mine as well.”

“Hey! Quit muttering amongst ya selves! Just ‘cause you got Vale and Marnie’s attention don’t mean nuthin’! Marnie is gonna become champion and we won’t let anyone get in her way!” 

Cordelia gave the guy speaking a stern look. “I’d appreciate it if you would stop verbally harassing my sister, we’re just trying to turn in for the night. I’m sure there’s others trying to go back to their rooms too and you lot are blocking the way.” She said, unamused at how they started laughing at her. “Oh thats rich! Listen to this Unovan musician preach to us now. You know there’s only room for one musician ‘round these parts and that's Piers! We don’t want you here!” 

At this, Cordelia balled her hands into fists, but she kept her cool tone. “Well, allow me to show you how things go down in Unova. Shall we?” she said, lightly tossing a luxury ball and catching it repeatedly in one hand, the other now resting on her hip. This seemed to entice the group and two stepped forward. “You’re on!” Cordelia nodded to Ivory who looked up at her and grabbed her gifted luxury ball. In a moment the crowd gave the 4 trainers in the center space and the two grunts tossed out their pokemon first- a galarian Zigzagoon and Linoone popped out, the Linoone taking a stance in front of Cordelia, the Zigzagoon appearing in front of Ivory. It was the girls’ turns to reveal their partners and they threw them out in tandem, Cordelia sending out her trusted Gothitelle, affectionately named Luvrina, and Ivory sending out the surprise gift from Cordelia- a Gothita from Unova. 

“A couple of psychics eh? Linoone, let's knock this hot shot down to size, use Crunch!” The grunt across from Cordelia commanded and the erratically moving pokemon obliged, charging straight towards her Gothitelle. Luvrina braced herself for the impact, taking the blow head on which resulted in a lowered defense for her. She staggered just for a moment before regaining her posture, her bows twitching slightly. Cordelia smirked, watching as Luvrina cried out, a slight pink aura enveloping her. The grunt looked at the trainer in surprise. “What uh, what's going?” But Cordelia didn’t answer his question. Instead she took advantage of her turn. “Luvrina, strike them down with Thunderbolt!” She called out and her Pokemon nodded before summoning upon the heavens themselves to unleash a rather powerful strike. It happened all so fast and Cordelia cheered when it was evident the opponent’s Linoone went down for the count. “A critical hit! Good job girl!” She cheered before walking towards the obviously confused grunt.

“B-but how?! I should’ve beaten you easily!” 

Cordelia smiled. “When your Linoone lowered my Gothitelle’s defense stat, her special attack rose sharply. Its ‘cause of her ability, Competitive.” She explained before placing her hands on her hips and speaking sternly. “Now why are you all bothering us? It's about time you all move on, unless you want another beating, ya hear?” Cordelia didn’t have to check on her sister, because Ivory joined her a few moments later.

“Yeah, don’t make us lay down the pain all night, we have to rest up too!” She said with added spunk in her voice, holding the new addition to her team in her arms. A murmur came over the remaining grunts who then decided it’d be best if they bolted.

“You win this time, but get in Marnie’s way and we’ll never let you hear the end of it! Team Yell, Team Yell!” A chant could be heard as they took off in different directions. Luvrina looked around curiously before noticing Ivory’s Gothia and becoming quite content and cooing over her offspring. Ivory was caught up in watching the grunts flee, not expecting Luvrina to grab the baby Pokemon from her. She froze,forgetting just how tall the Pokemon was. Sure Ivory was still taller than it, but feeling a pokemon just four inches shorter than she was creep up behind her still startled her. Cordelia sighed and looked over to her, smiling at the scene. “Ha, sorry, shoulda given you a heads up, Luvrina is still in mommy mode.” She said with a laugh at Ivory’s sudden tension being caught in the looming Pokemon’s immediate presence. “Oh, haha yeah you did say this Gothita was bred directly from your Gothitelle. I uh, y’know what, she can hold her I guess.” Ivory said nervously, as if Luvrina was going to give her an option to continue holding the baby pokemon. 

“Well, thank goodness that ended quickly, you ok?” Cordelia asked as they resumed their initial walk into the hotel. Ivory nodded, their Pokémon following behind them. Once upstairs, they briefly conversed with their parents, noticing that they had become much more chummy than how the two were this morning.

* * *

  
  


“Both of my darling beauties are about to embark on an adventure, aww how sweet is that? So when are you leaving? Do you have enough money? I can give you some more, Ivory. Cordelia, what about you? Are you ok?” 

Before their mom could get any further carried away with the incoming onslaught of question, Cordelia’s father placed a hand on her shoulder. “Now now, let these rest up. I’m sure they can talk it over with us in the morning.” He phrased it like a suggestion but their mom knew better and she sighed in agreement. “Ah, I suppose you are right. Why don’t you two go along and call it a night in Cordelia’s room? I’m sure you have much to catch up on and think about.”

The girls exchanged a glance with each other after taking note of the good mood both of their parents seemed to be in. Ivory was the first to speak up. “Well, you don’t gotta tell me twice, it's been one heck of a day, that's for sure!” She said, standing up. Cordelia stood and stretched, letting out a big yawn. “Oh gods, I am beat, there have been lots of...surprises today for sure. Don’t mind us, we’ll get out of your hair.” She said with a sly wink to her father before guiding her sibling out of the hotel room and down the hall to hers.

  
  


“Soo Cordelia, what do you think of Motostoke.” Ivory asked eagerly as she plopped down on one of the beds. Cordelia took a moment to answer, sighing exhaustedly face down into a pillow. “It’s a nice city, I’m heckin’ beat though. Too many surprises.” She whined and Ivory just laughed. She was happy to see her sister could still be herself- not guarded, not putting on a show the whole time. Just pure Cordelia. Ivory laid down on her back and started going through her own Pokegram feed. Somewhere during her social media plunge, she heard Cordelia say she was gonna shower and hit the hay, but she was too involved in catching up with the latest posts to respond. 

  
  


**_Meanwhile…_ **

  
  


“I told you that you were gonna lose that jacket o’ yours if ya didn’t wear it right!” A girl’s voice chided, punching Vale’s arm. The male winced in pain. “Ack, Esmi come on! You know I wear it off my shoulders for aesthetic purposes! ‘Sides, I’m sure someone picked it up, Team Yell was out in full force when we got there anyway.” He responded, not too bent out of shape over losing his signature piece of clothing. The other girl scoffed from behind a drum set. “If you weren’t so goo-goo eyed over that girl you took selfies with, you woulda noticed sooner. ‘Lookit me eh, I’m Vale and I’m the guitar player from Spikemuth and I can’t be bothered to take care o’ me jacket ‘cause I get too distracted taking selfies with cute girls, thinkin’ they be my soulmate or whateva.” She mimicked Vale, causing Esmi to laugh. “...I do not sound like that.” He muttered. Esmi smirked. “But you’re not denying that’s how you act.” She responded with a raised eyebrow.

“Oi, leave the man alone.” A voice called out. The three musicians turned their heads and smiled at the man who was walking towards the stage. A tall, pale looking man with wild black and white hair pulled into a ponytail was walking up the steps. The metal chain and his boots echoed in the empty arena. He wore a dark tank top and pink shorts that had a Dark Type logo on it, though most people recognized it because of Team yell adopting the insignia, with a cropped jacket over it. His sleeves had spikes on them and his collar flared out. He stood in front of the two who were arguing and sighed, fiddling with the key hole on his necklace pendant. “You said Team Yell followed you all o’er to Motostoke?” He asked quietly, to which the girl by the drumset nodded. “Ah yep, Piers. They were causin’ a ruckus down at the Budew Inn thinkin’ ya lil sis was already there.” She answered casually, still tending to her drums as the other two straightened up. The man frowned slightly and looked to the side, his bangs hiding one of his eyes. “Ah...I hope it wasn’t too much trouble, they know they’re only there to keep an eye out for Marnie.” He seemed to feel disheartened about Team Yell’s actions. Esmi smiled as she opened her bass guitar case. “Don’t worry too much, Piers. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, thanks to you.” she said encouragingly. “Yeah mate, you taught her everything she knows, she’s sure to be ace in her challenge.” Vale added as he stood up to pat Piers on the back. The leader smiled slightly then nodded. “Yeah, you lot are right I guess. Anythin’ interesting happen at the ceremony?” Piers resumed his relaxed, slightly slouched posture as his band mates mulled over the day’s events.

“Hmmm...I mean Vale took selfies with that one girl in the lobby. Surprised the heck outta me that she even managed to shove past that lobby of Team Yell trainers.” Esmi spoke up first, to which Piers rolled his eyes. “Hey, I know it not _that_ interesting, but she knew who he was right away. Isn’t it nice to know more people are starting to recognize your band mates. Heck if you were there, she probs would have wanted a picture with you too!” She continued in response to Piers’ reaction. He shook his head. “ ‘m not all that great, no reason to butter me up like that.”

Vale laughed. “Not all that great? You’re the seventh gym leader and run one killer band at the same time! The only other leader does somethin’ that could be considered the same level of work is Nessa with her modeling work and all.” He knew Piers was humble, but Vale felt like his leader was sometimes _too_ humble when it came to praises and all.

“Anyone else?” Piers asked, brushing off Esmi and Vale’s praises.

“Well at the actual ceremony, Marnie seemed to have taken a liking to this one girl. Actually...I think it was the girl Vale took pics with. The two seemed to be chatting it up as they walked onto the pitch.” She paused what she was doing and took out her phone. “If I remember correctly, a Team Yell trainer said that Marnie, that girl and one older girl were all seen at one of Motostokes diners having dinner together, raving about some post the older girl was tagged in with your dragon pal, Raihan. Texted me somethin ‘bout a hot shot from Unova, but you know how heated your trainers can get over new people around Marnie.” Ronnie added, handing Piers her phone so he could go over the pics and instant messages she had received. He hummed in amusement, relief washing over him as he placed a hand over his heart.

_She looks happy...I hope she had a good day._

After a moment, he handed Ronnie back her phone. “Thanks mate.” He said and she smiled. “Esmi is right, y’know, you taught her well. I’m sure she’ll message ya in the morning.” For some reason, when the same words of encouragement came out of Ronnie’s mouth, Piers finally decided to relent and nodded. Ronnie was his next in command, it also helped that the drummer grew up with him and often knew just what to say and when. She was a wicked drummer to boot, so when Piers’ music career started to take off, she was willing to jump in and lend him her talent as well. The two were now twenty four and have seen the rise and fall of their city, but Ronnie does her best to help Piers out when it came to his gym leader duties. Esmi and Vale were younger, but equally as gifted. Vale was the youngest and was a week shy of his eighteenth birthday, though he never let on to anyone online about his age. Piers had sort of taken him under his wing and Vale never looked back, highly appreciative of the praise and mentoring from the gym leader. Esmi showed up in Spikemuth from the Alola region two years ago, with nothin’ but the bass guitar on her back. She walked to her own beat, never let on much about her past, but her style and mannerisms made her well accepted amongst the punk rock vibes in the city. She had a fiery streak in her, but up on stage with her bass, she was cool and collected, lost in her own world.

“Got any more info on these people she was with?” Piers asked as he walked across the stage and set down his mic stand. 

The girls shook their heads, Vale was stuck rapidly replying to something on his social media. “Uh, mate? Got somn’ to share with the class or what?” Piers questioned, watching the boy with a raised eyebrow. “Hmm? Oh um, well yeah I guess. That girl has my jacket, but more importantly the older girl Marnie was spotted happens to be a reputable member of a band from Unova. She’s a lyricist and their synth player. Apparently she also sings from time to time.” Vale responded, still glued to his phone. “Uhh, Cordelia Lockheart of D-Luxe. Hails from Opelucid City in the Unova region. Um..says here that Ivory- the girl who has my jacket now- is her little sister and the two are in the gym challenge. She’s also twenty four.” Vale was starting to go through all of the replies on Raihan’s selfie with Cordelia and soon began to drone on about all he could of Cordelia’s public information, sharing some clips here and there. “Her band is known in several regions, but she herself is also one helluva trainer apparently. Looks like-”

“Vale! We don’t need her life story!” Esmi cut him off and Piers nodded. “Aye, it's honestly a bit… scary how quick you can drag up information on people like that. I appreciate tha sentiment though.” He said, arms folded across his chest. Ronnie giggled at the bewildered look on Vale’s face. “Well I guess that's why you are our social media manager.” It’s true, Vale was incredibly savvy with online networks and nearly obsessed with posting videos and pictures of the band during jam sessions and practices. Piers had made it a sport to avoid Vale’s Rotophone at any chance he could, but the few candid photos that Vale did manage to get were always crowd favorites.

Vale shrugged. “Sorry, I uh, didn’t mean to get so carried away, but what do you expect when the challenger Raihan selfies with just happens to be an interesting person. Made it too easy to see all that I needed to when both Raihan and her fans were going at each other in the comments or gushing about each other’s idols. Think her and her sister will make it past Kabu?” He was quick to change the subject back to the gym challenge. Esmi groaned. “You’re a piece o’ work y’know that? Let's focus on practice so we can all go get some shut eye.” “Esmi’s right, Vale, Ronnie, are you ready?” Piers called out, adjusting his mic. Ronnie took her seat and Vale quickly grabbed his guitar, despite his mind being preoccupied with all the info he just dug up.

“1..2..3..4!

”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will focus more on Piers and the band members. Thank you all for enduring these chapters , I hope they were enjoyable as you learned more about my characters while I set up the story!


	4. Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the gym challenge kickin' off, Piers knows he's gonna get busy soon, but debates with his mates if they should take advantage of the chance to put on one more show before challenger start reachin' him. 
> 
> Mostly centered around Piers and the band! Have fun seeing their dynamics!

The following morning hit Piers like a truck. He couldn’t understand why he was so sore until it clicked with him. While his band members had taken off with Team yell yesterday, he stayed behind to take care of the city in preparation for the gym challengers. Which meant he was alone to set up the stage for practice, to unload equipment from one of their cargo trailers, to clean up around the city. Thankfully, he had his Obstagoon and the rest of his team that were able to help with what they could, but it was still a lot of leg work. He had felt pretty bummed yesterday about not being able to go see Marnie in the ceremony, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Spikemuth in disarray. Well...more disarray than usual. Piers rubbed his eyes and groaned, still staring at his room ceiling. His hair was a big fluffed out mess, much different from the neat ponytail he normally wore it in. The black and white tendrils splayed out on either side of his body. Piers couldn’t be bothered to tie it back up after his shower last night, band practice had gone on longer thanks in part to a solo Vale had been working on for one the songs. “Was a damn good solo though. Kid’s got talent for sure.” He said to himself. With a huff, he willed himself to sit up in bed before swinging his legs over the edge and slipping on his house slippers- a pair of fuzzy Galarian Zigzagoon slippers Marnie had bought him last Christmas. He played it cool about the gift, but honestly he enjoyed how cozy they were, and how ridiculous he looked wearing them. The black and white stripes of the small fluffy pokemon often reminded others of his own hair. Especially when he was just waking up. He rummaged through some drawers to put on an oversized T-shirt and fixed his pajama pants- sporting a matching zigzagoon print.

Piers yawned and grabbed his phone before heading out of his room. The apartment he’s been renting wasn’t too glamorous, but it was big enough for both him and Marnie and with the added funds he earned from being a Gym Leader, he was able to get some nicer furniture for the space. Out in the living room was a matching white sofa set, a nice sized telly and a floor rug. In the corner was a shelf of old family photos, trophies and an album filled with league cards Piers had collected. On the very top was a decorated urn with some silk flowers- their mum’s favorite. Marnie was young when their mother passed away unexpectedly in the midst of Piers’ gym challenge. It devastated him, and he quit his challenge right after acing the previous Spikemuth gym leader as a result. Dad left the picture early on so Piers was already used to being on the lookout for Marnie. Didn't mean it made it any easier for him to suddenly adapt to being an adult at the ripe age of 15 while also having to care for a baby sister. 

As Piers strolled on through to his kitchen, he sighed. Morning was always when he pondered over deep thoughts, today was no different. He stretched out his back before returning to his slightly hunched position while waiting for his coffee to brew. He wondered if Marnie would have taken off from Motostoke already, knowing how eager she could be when travelling on a mission. Or would she be enjoying sleeping in late one last time before getting things going. Heavens knows how hard it could be to wake her up before noon some days. He chuckled to himself and fixed himself a cup of coffee as it just finished brewing. He then walked back over to his room, picked up his phone and found himself sitting at their dining room table, finally deciding to check his own Pokegram and Rotobook accounts as well as any missed message he may have had. He wasn’t surprised at all to see that Marnie had indeed texted him.

_Morning big bro! Headin’ out early_

_to make my way to Turffield. May have made a new friend or two :)_

  
  
  


_Oh?_

_Thought you would be too distracted with the_

_boutiques to talk to people ;P_

  
  


_Shut up ;p Love you_

  
  


_Lol Love you too_

  
  
  
  


Piers snickered at the response she gave him, almost certain she spent money in Motostoke on new attire. As he sipped his coffee, he went back to his social media, rolling his eyes at one of the clips Vale posted during practice last night. It featured mostly Piers, he was too into his singing to pay the camera any mind. Had to hand it to him though, Vale always managed to get flawless candids of him and the audience online always begged for more. In this case, they were keen on when Piers would venture out of Spikemuth again, his comment section littered with replies of “We missed you at the ceremony!” and “When is the next concert, King???”

Piers couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. “Galar sure is thirsty, huh? Guess I must be doin’ sum’n right.” He said to himself moving along. One post from Marnie caught his attention and he paused right on it. It was a picture of her in between the two girls that Ronnie had shown him last night in the diner they all ate at. Intrigued, he read the caption next:

_“Gym Challenger Ceremony was fun :) Got to meet someone I have been a fan of for quite some time now, who knew her lil sis would be equally as fun as herself._

_#D-LuxeDelight #GalarGymChallengeDay1 #Motostoke #goodvibes “_

  
  


Piers hummed to himself, curious as to why she never mentioned her interest in this woman before. It was apparent that Marnie had been following her online for awhile as he figured with the specific tags she used. Even Vale seemed like he knew more about this Cordelia or D-Luxe whatever band then he let on. There was no other explanation that he knew that much info that fast, even if Raihan did help this woman’s reach in Galar inadvertently. A part of him was upset that his little sister didn’t tell him she fancied this other band’s music, but he knew that was silly. Marnie was allowed to be her own person and he respected that. Piers did his best to shrug it off, and scrolled through some more, but stopped when he finished his coffee.

_It’s about time I get busy, should go check on the others in a bit._

He examined a tuft of his hair and sighed, knowing full well he was gonna have to fix it in the shower. No way on earth would he even consider touching his hair with a brush if it was fully dry. Couldn’t be helped unfortunately, he loved his hair, but it was work to maintain. So be it. 

“This would probably be a good time as any to hear a taste of that band. If it’s Marnie approved, ‘spose they must be sum’n special.” He mused, taking his phone with him to the shower. The search didn’t take long, the band had a professional site with a plethora of songs and videos to hear. Conveniently, it looked like the band members themselves each made a playlist of five songs to get a feel for each one’s talent. Naturally, since Marnie was a fan of whoever this Cordelia person was, he selected hers to listen to while he fought with his hair in the shower. 

As he brushed out his tangled mane under running water he could feel himself becoming immersed in the sounds of her signature instrument- a synth keytar. Into the verse, he wasn’t sure who’s voice it was that accompanied her melody but the song had amped up considerably once the guitarist came in and dueted with Cordelia’s synth. Piers wasn’t sure how to feel about the overall sound as the song progressed until there it came to a climax point, the synth player going all out in an electrifying solo that forced him to halt brushing out his hair momentarily. 

_Arceus, she’s really digging into this huh?_

It was true, this section of the song was clearly a precise and well rehearsed synth solo, but she played as if she were shredding on an actual guitar. It was fast and smooth and ended with her commanding the crowd to meet her energy before she brought them off their musical high. He let another song go by before getting out of the shower, the second one being more of a chilled out song that featured a different singer. He enjoyed the lyrics and vocals to this song more and finished his hair care routine feeling relaxed as the singer’s voice soothed him with the calm, almost haunting sound of that lovely synth. Piers shut off the water when it ended. Hair wrapped up in a towel he got out of the shower and continued about with getting dressed for the day, sporting a black long sleeve, his signature choker and ripped gray jeans with Cherry red combat boots. He clipped his waist chain to his belt, securing his pokeballs with it and set out the door.

* * *

“Heya Piers!! I already have the others ready to go!” Ronnie greeted him not too far from his place. She lived maybe five minutes from him and usually started her day around the same time as him. He gave her a head nod as she walked over to him, the two continuing their stroll down Spikemuth towards the arena. “Sleep well?”

Piers shrugged. “As best ya can when it feels like a darned Rhydon pummeled your body. I forgot how much I did while you guys were away, ‘s my fault for not getting the gym ready sooner.” He said with a sigh and Ronnie chuckled. “You always beat yerself up like this, ya know we woulda come back if you asked us too. We saw Marnie at the ceremony, kept an’ eye on her and she made it back to the hotel with no problems. If I didn’t know any better, Piers, it’d seem like you don’t like to rely on your friends much.” She replied as she placed her hands on her hips, watching him unlock the gate to the gym arena. Piers chuckled and shook his head as he let her walk through first. “Ain’t that, just my job as a leader to have things in order, not my band mates. Choosing to lead a band as well as run a gym is something I chose to do, it’s just gettin’ to be a bit much now. Not right o’ me to ask for help when it’s my job in the first place. Marnie understands.” He explained as Ronnie walked past him, making her way towards the backstage hall.. She rolled her eyes and raised her hands in defeat. “Oh Piers…” When they met in Piers’ backstage room, they were greeted by Vale and Esmi who were relaxing on the sofa and bean bag chair respectively that adorned the room.

“Well look who decided to show up! Thought we got the dates mixed up for a bit there!” Vale teased with a grin. Esmi popped the bubble she had blown with her gum and sighed. “Oh come off it, if it weren’t for Ronnie’s text you’d still be sleepin’ like a log ya big oaf!” She said, causing Vale to pout and shake his. Ronnie sat herself next to Vale and Piers chose his spot in his vanity chair, resting his arms on the back of the chair as he faced his crew.. 

“Right then, Challenge is startin’ up, gon’ be real busy in a couple weeks once the strong ones start comin’ so if we are sure about doin’ this kickoff show, we best plan for it ASAP. Personally, I don’t mind if it’s close to when challengers start reachin’ Spikemuth, it would probably do the place some good to bring in new faces alongside trainers itchin’ for a battle with me, but what do you all think?” The leader said with a rather nonchalant tone. Ronnie looked up in thought to mull over options. Esmi fiddled with her hair but kept quiet. Vale spoke up first and sat up as best he could in the bean bag. “If we push it to coincide with when you expect challengers to start showin’ up roughly, could give Esmi some time to whip up a flyer for it, and then Ronnie and I can tag team and get the word out. Hell, I could get it plastered across our media pages today if we agree to it. Got nothin’ else to do, the shop’s closed. Ronnie, whaddya say, girl?” He flashed his superior a grin and finger guns and she chuckled before looking over to Piers. “Well, Esmi, think you can make a bangin’ promo flyer within two weeks?” She asked first, to which Esmi nodded. 

“‘Spose I could make a lil somethin’ for us to print off. Just let me know if you have somethin’ in mind, Piers.” She replied, nodding to Piers, who smiled and nodded.

“Aye, I’ll shoot you a message with details later. So it’s decided then? Two weeks from today then?” Piers looked around at his friends and they nodded in agreement. He grinned and stood up, rolling his shoulders. “Alright then,” Piers began, grabbing a notepad off his vanity counter and pen. “Esmi’s got the flyer, once I send details, Vale’s got the social media campaign,” He pointed at each with the pen when he said their names, Esmi nodding and Vale giving a thumbs up in response. “Vale, whenever the flyer is done, make sure you post it too, ‘kay?”

“‘Course Piers! Wouldn’t miss the chance to share Esmi’s work n’ all.” Vale said, already pulling out his phone. Esmi huffed and looked away shyly, a light blush on her cheeks. She always got a bit flustered when others complimented her or tried to help her reach. She was thankful though that they each knew how garbage online reach was for small artists. Piers nodded and looked over to Ronnie. 

"As for you Ronnie, hmm…” He trailed off in thought and Ronnie chuckled, placing a hand on her hip. “Som’n’ tha matter? Or didja just forget what you wanted me to do?” She said in amusement and her leader rolled his eyes. “Oi, come off it, I’m thinkin’...”

Ronnie stood up, a smile on her face. “Well, if ya got nothin’, I got sum’n’ you could give me to do.” She said as she stood up. Piers raised an eyebrow at her then shrugged. “Alright then, out with it, Ronnie.”

“Let me help you get this place in shape, the last thing we need is our mate runnin’ ‘imself dry before the challengers even get here, right?”

Ronnie knew she shocked him and judging by the subtle glare he shot her, she also knew Piers was debating about her offer. She stayed quiet, Vale and Esmi just staring at their leader. It was no secret Piers was as humble as they came, but sometimes he took it too far and felt like he was responsible for the troubles Spikemuth endured. And as such he felt he should be the one to take full responsibility, never wanting to admit help would be nice. Never wanting to be a burden to his friends. Ronnie knew; he’s been like this since childhood and even more so when he had to step up and become the adult of the family far sooner than he ever should have.

Piers huffed and scratched the side of his head. “Never said I needed help.”

Ronnie smirked and took a step towards him, looking right back into eyes that looked like they could shoot straight past her, their height difference becoming glaringly obvious despite the platforms she always wore. “Never said ya did.”

He frowned, the two of them challenging each other’s gazes for a moment that lasted a bit too long. Ronnie broke the silence first and pressed her index finger against his chest before letting loose on the gym leader.

“Marnie would be very disappointed in ya if ya keep up this loner act. Buck up and just say it’s a bit much for one person. Ya already sent Team Yell off to watch out for her, plus I’m sure tha rest of your friends like Nessa and Raihan will also be makin’ sure she’s doin’ alright. Heck even the Champ ‘imself would be keepin’ an eye on the youngins- Hop is goin’ through the challenge this year too!” Ronnie dropped her finger and took a step back before continuing, not fazed in the slightest by the expression he was giving her. 

“Piers, we’re ya friends, ya allies. Sure the gym ain’t our responsibility, but Spikemuth’s well bein’ is.” She finished off with a sympathetic sigh, noting how Piers was looking at her with a hint of embarrassment underneath his harsh, cold, expression. Vale and Esmi exchanged a look before nodding in unison and quietly leaving the room before things went off. They weren’t strangers to the pair’s discussions; Ronnie had a tendency to pull out the most emotion from Piers. Unfortunately it usually ended up with them getting into a spat of sorts and neither one liked to be around for it as it happened. Plus, with their assigned duties, there really wasn’t a point in sticking around too much longer. 

Piers sighed in frustration after a long while and flipped his bang off to the side. “Ya really diggin’ in it today huh? Why do you care so much? It’s not like ‘m anythin’ special, Ronnie.” He spat out, much to Ronnie’s disappointment. 

“We’ve been mates since childhood, ya don’t think I can’t tell when yer overworkin’ yerself? Always been a bit thick in tha head.” She shook her head with a ‘tsk’. 

“What about you then? Stubborn as ever. Always stickin’ yer nose where it don’t belong.” His accent always came out more when he got heated. Ronnie’s eyebrows furrowed

“Ya never let me in otherwise! You know how many times I was scared outta my mind when you wouldn’t answer yer phone or messages when we were growin’ up? Do ya?! Ya like a brother to me, Piers. It’s one thing to be reserved, issa ‘nother to shut out the people who care the most ‘bout cha!” Ronnie shot back, actually getting upset. Piers turned his head away from her. 

“No one asked ya to care about me, I’m-”

She got in front of his face and held up an index finger, catching him completely off guard by the sudden shift in movement. 

“I will slap you if you say finish that statement. Stop lying to me ‘bout that nonsense and just tell me how I can help.” She warned before giving him back his personal space. Once Piers regained his composure he finally sighed, his shoulders slouching down as he looked at her again. 

“You’re just like Marnie, never takin’ no for n’ answer.” He mumbled after a bit. “Ah fine, maybe I’m bein’ a bit unreasonable. I just never wanna bother any o’ you with my own troubles… Just never feel like it’s somethin’ you should concern yourselves with honestly. I always figure it out. Always have.”

Ronnie gave him a sympathetic smile and placed a hand on his wrist, taking the chance that he wouldn’t push her away like he usually does. “I get that. And time and time again I always end up repeatin’ myself to drill through that big head o’ your’s that you don’t have to be alone anymore. You never had to. When you started becomin’ distant I thought it was ‘cause o’ somethin’ I did. I was genuinely worried for a bit there, mate. But then I learn you just let it all get too much and collapse in on ya. I don’t wanna see ya in that spot again, mate. So as long as I’m around, I will help ya climb out of your holes, whether you like it or not.” Her voice was much calmer now and she pulled her hand away. A light pink shade dusted his cheeks and he hid behind his overly large bang, looking down at the floor.

“A lil embarrassin’ there, Ronnie.”

“Just the truth, Piers.”

He stood up after that and just gave her a knowing nod. Ronnie accepted his unspoken message and nodded back, walking out of his room and back to the arena. Piers had a hard time conveying his actual feelings. Having to be strong for Marnie and himself for most of his late childhood robbed him of actually having time to work through his own personal problems. They naturally took a backseat to everything else at hand and he’s been left not really understanding how to unpack all that baggage; and if he was being honest, he’d rather _not_ unpack it anyway. However, leave it to Ronnie to always pick up on the slightest change in his demeanor- Marnie had to have picked this up from her, he thought. Ronnie was right though, he had been letting tasks pile on top of each other and even though he tried his earnest, it just kept coming. Constant stream of problems and concerns for the city, trying to keep the stage and equipment in good condition, training his team, making sure him and Marnie were both fed, making sure they were both somehow supported... Piers was always busy. And in turn, that meant he was always tired. Always. Tired. At this point it was just part of his personality trait. Thankfully for shows, he could easily use his eyebags to his advantage with makeup to really drive home a sort of sultry look that sent his audience wild once he stepped on stage and people during the day rarely saw him. The ones who did usually paid him no mind or stayed away from him. Fine by him, he didn’t like leaving town much anyway, due to a number of things. 

After some further insisting from Ronnie, the two got to work alongside their Pokemon to whip Spikemuth into tip top shape, Ronnie’s Mawile elated to be spending time with Piers’ Obstagoon once again. She breathed a little easier seeing just in his actions that underneath his outward appearance, he was grateful for the extra help. He didn’t have to say it and she was fine with that. Although Ronnie didn’t have a full team, her and her Mawile proved enough to get Piers ahead of his tasks with the rest of his team. When they finished the arena and general cleanup of the city, he made it a point to pause and send Esmi his list of ideas for the flyer. She texted him a thumbs up but nothing more. Ronnie on the other hand checked through their social media and smiled seeing Vale had already made a hashtag for the concert and was posting content to highlight the band.

“Aw, he’s slackin’ at work for us.” She said in a motherly tone and Piers snorted when he showed her a selfie he took in his work uniform. They both knew full well while Vale kept his job as a barista at the coffee shop in Hammerlocke, it wasn’t his passion and he didn’t care to hide that fact.

“He’s a mess but I guess I’ll keep him around, poor bastard forgot his shop was closed today and showed up anyway. You wanna keep goin’ down my To-Do list or should we take a break? He asked, stretching one arm over his head.

Ronnie lulled her head back and forth, thinking over her options. “Y’know, why don’t we take a break? We could check and see if Marnie’s facing a gym leader on the telly! She hasn’t mentioned anything about reaching Milo yet, right?” Piers seemed to like that idea but shook his head. “Nah she hasn’t said anythin’ other than this mornin’ when she was getting a head start on leaving for Turffield. Though she might not say anything if she fought Milo, she didn’t seem worried in the slightest about facin’ him.” Piers replied.

“Well great! We can head over to my place, the battles are fun to watch regardless. I’ll heat up some leftovers. Then we’ll get back to whatever else ya need so you can hopefully get some good shut eye tonight.” Ronnie said with a grin.The thought of being able to sleep peacefully for once was almost too much for Piers, albeit he was skeptical he would actually be able to sleep. Still, he supposed he should jump at the chance to catch up on some rest and nodded happily at Ronnie’s idea. A free meal wouldn’t hurt either.

  
  


* * *

  
  


_“And Milo’s Eldegoss goes down for the count! Challenger Five Seven Five, Ivory Loverett of Ballonlea, has successfully earned her victory over the Grass-Type gym leader!” The announcer’s voice boomed over the speakers in the stadium, the crowd already erupting into cheers. The drones recording the battle panned over to the challenger who was taking a selfie, looking extra comfy in her newly acquired jacket. The cameras picked up her conversation with her pokemon. “My good luck charm, I’ll win my way to Vale you just watch, Tish!” The trainer cooed to her Milcery happily who swooped in and nuzzled her cheek. Milo, the gym leader of this stadium returned his Edlegoss to his pokeball, assuring they did their best before he walked over to the younger trainer and proceeded with gym pleasantries._

“Whoa isn’t that-?” Ronnie trailed off, watching the girl, clearly comfortable in Vale’s jacket, accept her first gym badge. Piers nodded, watching intently. “Yeah that’s that chick Marn was with last n-” He cut himself off, distracted by a familiar chilling noise that pierced through the crowd. Ronnie was going to ask him what was wrong until the sound grew louder. On her tv screen, they could see Ivory and Milo both halt their trek off the pitch and stare into the crowd, the live feed cameras soon panning to find the source of the noise. There in the front row of stands along the visitors’ side was a woman in a white leather jacket, a black and blue bodysuit underneath and heels that matched her jacket. She had medium length flared out purple hair and was strumming on an ice blue keytar and belting out lyrics to be heard, obviously amplified by a portable amp she had to have had.

_“Cheers to you, lets show em how we do in Unova!_

_You’ll neva see anotha, her name is Ivory Loverett! Got it?_

_Now next in line is the one divine,_

_they love to see it, fresh and fine!_

_Elder of two, united as one, I’ll have you locked on to my heart nice and tight!_

_You try to hide it, but don’t be shy!_

_Just call me Corde and Pierce my heart!_

_This anthem’s for you, now push on through!”_

The crowd, still energized, erupted into applause and cheers as the woman shot up a thumbs up, nice and high. The drones panned back to Ivory who returned the thumbs up and practically jogged off the field with Milo.

“Ah, well thats the other girl Marnie was with ya? She’s got a wicked sound and a boomin voice right? Right Piers…? Piers?”

Piers didn’t notice Ronnie trying to grab his attention. His head was still replaying the song Cordelia had just played, her synth,much like it did in the showr that morning, resonating through his brain. It wasn’t till she nudged him with her elbow that he shook his head, snapping out of it.

“A-ah! Oh, uh...sorry Ronnie.” He mumbled embarrassed as he scratched the side of his head, much to her amusement. She raised an eyebrow at him, as if to question what that was about, knowing she was the one that was aloof out of the two, but she said nothing. 

“Let me go heat up our food, tell me who’s up next!” 

As the drummer hopped off the couch, Piers decided to check his phone. No new messages from Marnie still. He decided to scroll through Pokegram for the hell of it. Naturally there was a plethora of posts from Vale and Raihan alike flooding his feed. To his surprise, he found a post from Marnie. It was a multipost, featuring a pic of her with Ivory and a video clip of Cordelia’s impromptu concert shocking the crowd.

_“Ngl, it’s been live hanging with my new friend and her big sis, bonus clip for #DLightNation She may be Unova’s ice queen, but I’m thinkin’ I can sway her to stay in Galar ;P Cheer for me too, my turn is next! #GalarGymChallenge #Turffield #Corde #DLuxeNation #UnovaWho #GalarGirls“_

Piers smiled and typed out a comment, knowing full well he was gonna get her post flooded with attention while also embarrassing her mildly. 

_“Give em a proper Spikemuth greetin’! I’m sending cheers to you~!”_

Feeling right accomplished, he called out to Ronnie to hurry since Marnie was just getting announced on the telly. The sound of her boots quickened as she emerged from the kitchen with one plate for him before running back to grab hers as Milo had just greeted Marnie on the pitch. 

* * *

  
  


Marnie didn’t disappoint and just hearing how excited Piers got watching his sis pulverize Milo’s team warmed Ronnie’s heart. Ronnie also hollered when she delivered the final blow, jumping to her feet and joining Piers in their war cry essentially.

“That’s our trailblazer!”

“Couldn’t have done better myself!”

Once things settled, his phone went off and he chuckled at the message.

  
  


_Why must you embarrass me?_

_That wounds my soul, just wanted to send you my luck._

_;P didn’t need it_

_Ouch, my heart._

_Jk, be safe headin’ to Hulbury yea?_

_With my new friends, I think I’ll be ace~!_

Piers tucked his phone away after their conversation and Ronnie finished eating. Both decided they should tackle the last of Piers' chores and call it a day after that. When he finally got home, he was tired, but not nearly as bad as he had been in the morning from the day before. Even though he had changed into his lunging clothes, he couldn't shake the itch of being wired. Pinpointing what it was, he made himself comfy on his bed and grabbed his guitar from the bedside stand it rested by. It had been awhile since Piers toyed with a new melody, but the creative part of his brain just took over for this night and he played for hours into the night. Far later than he should have been up, but he didn't care. By the time he was done, he had whipped up something that was different from their typical sound, but in a good way. Satisfied with his progress, he laid back against his pillows and drifted to sleep, watching the glow of neon lights twinkle in his window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry its taken so long, but I appreciate everyone sticking with me! Chapter 5 will introduce a couple more characters (they aren't integral to the plot, but they are fun!) and shouldn't take as long to get out as this one did. I also fought through writer's block for this and for my other fic!  
> I hope you enjoy!  
> Follow my twitter for art and updates on my fics!  
> https://twitter.com/merluvli


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